UK & World News

Boy With No Ears Gets Pair Made From His Ribs

A nine-year-old boy born without ears has been given a new pair - made from his ribs.

Kieran Sorkin was teased at school after being born deaf and with small lobes where his ears should be.

But he has now gained some hearing after a six-hour operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Surgeons used cartilage from his ribs to create a pair of ears and grafted them to his head.

He is still around 90% deaf, but when using hearing aids he can "hear the wind blow and the birds tweet", his father David, from Bushey, Hertfordshire, said.

He said the operation will boost the youngster's confidence "no end".

"We're absolutely on cloud nine," he said. "We could not have wished for a better result.

"They look like normal ears. He had nothing, but has got proper sized ears now and they cover the gap where ears should have been.

"They look normal bar a couple of sewing marks which will go away in time.

"His reaction was just a 'wow', he is very happy."

The 44-year-old IT manager added: "He had problems at school in that he didn't gel very well in the groups because he looked different to other kids and he only had one or two friends at his previous school.

"He has now moved to a different school now and they have a deaf unit in every year so they are a little bit more receptive to deafness and to a child looking different.

"But this will boost his confidence no end."

Kieran was born with bilateral microtia - which affects one in 100,000 babies - a congenital deformity where the external ear is underdeveloped.